ISLAMABAD // An anti-corruption tribunal will decide the fate of Pakistan's three leading cricketers when it starts a six-day hearing into spot-fixing charges tomorrow.
Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer are preparing to travel to Doha, Qatar to face the three-man tribunal - headed by Michael Beloff, an English lawyer, with South Africa's Justice Albie Sachs and the Kenyan Sharad Rao.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) believes it has prepared a strong case which requires proper scrutiny. If found guilty, the trio could face a life ban.
The ICC suspended Butt, Asif and Aamer in September after a British tabloid alleged that they bowled predetermined no-balls during the Lord's Test match against England. Beloff rejected appeals by Butt and Aamer against the suspension in November. Asif did not appeal.
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's Twenty20 and one-day captain, will join Waqar Younis, the coach, as witnesses at the request of the ICC during the tribunal.
Younis told the ICC's code of commission he was surprised when Aamer bowled a huge front-foot no-ball, even asking the fast bowler "what the hell was that" during the break.
Afridi said when he met the trio at a hotel room in London he thought they were guilty. Afridi also told reporters on Monday the ICC had lot of important information on the case, but he has no ill feelings toward his ex-teammates.
Butt has changed at least three lawyers since his suspension, including Pakistan's former law minister Khalid Ranjha. He will now be represented by Yasin Patel, a London-based lawyer, during Doha hearing.
Aamer, who has taken 51 wickets in 14 Test matches with his left-arm fast bowling, was confident he would be exonerated.
"My lawyer [Shahid Karim] has prepared a strong case, and with the prayers of millions of fans, I hope the decision will come in our favour," Aamer said yesterday before heading to Doha.
"It's a nightmare for me and the toughest test of my life, but I am confident that I will cross through this tough phase."
Butt criticised the ICC for victimising Pakistan cricketers when his appeal was rejected, while Asif has made no statement since the suspension.
Shoaib Mohammad, the former Pakistan Test batsman, said he hopes the trio will be cleared and able to represent Pakistan at next month's World Cup in South Asia.
"I hope they do," Mohammad told Geo Television. "But if not, I think Aamer's absence will be felt the most because of his fearsome pace."
It is not the first time that international cricket has been hit by spot-fixing and match-fixing. Salim Malik, Pakistan's former captain, and Ata-ur-Rehman were handed life bans in 1999 by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum, who also fined several leading players including Younis and Wasim Akram.
Mohammad Azharuddin, the former India captain, and South Africa's Hansie Cronje, who later died in a plane crash, were also handed similar punishments for their involvement in match-fixing.
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
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Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
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Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Bareilly Ki Barfi
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Three and a half stars
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
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If you go
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Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
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Install an air filter in your home.
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Shower or bath after being outside.
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THE SPECS
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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The specs
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EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
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SPECS
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
